Pubdate: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 Source: Star-Ledger (NJ) Copyright: 1999 Star-Ledger Contact: 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J., 07102-1200 Website: http://www.nj.com/starledger/ Forum: http://forums.nj.com/ Author: Brian Donohue SHEDDING SECRECY, TROOPERS VOLUNTARILY RELEASE ARREST FIGURES In a move toward new openness, the New Jersey State Police yesterday voluntarily released fresh figures on arrests and tickets issued by troopers during July and said the statistics will now be provided on a regular basis. The report showed that the numbers of suspects arrested and summonses issued continued to rebound slowly from a springtime slowdown that came in response to controversy over racial profiling. Troopers issued 35,614 tickets in July -- an increase over previous months but still 7 percent below the number issued in July 1998. Arrest figures showed a similar pattern: Troopers made 1,734 arrests, 203 more than in June but 9 percent below the figure for last July. Yesterday's report represents the first voluntary release of arrest figures by a force that once held such information confidential. Public reporting of arrest statistics was one of a series of reforms called for by the April 20 report from the Attorney General's State Police Review Team. Such releases "will serve to improve public confidence in trooper actions," according to a press release issued by the State Police yesterday. It also included the promise of more information the State Police has long held close to the vest. The division yesterday said future quarterly reports will include summaries of State Police Internal Affairs cases handled, including the nature of all allegations against troopers. Roger Shatzkin, spokesman for the attorney general, said the reports will become more detailed as the division sets up new computer systems to track trooper activity. "In keeping with the clear notion that we want the State Police to be accountable, we are making this information available until we can provide more complete information through computerized means," he said. For more than a year, the State Police has been under scrutiny from state and federal investigators over allegations that troopers illegally targeted minorities for highway stops. In April, the attorney general's review team released a report concluding that some troopers did engage in racial profiling. A follow-up report in July highlighted the disparate treatment of minorities within the force. In March, after Gov. Christie Whitman fired Superintendent Carl Williams for remarks linking minorities to drug trafficking, troopers cut back sharply on ticket writing, issuing 30,000 fewer tickets than they did in February. Effects of that slowdown lingered for months. For the first half of the year, the number of summonses was down 21 percent from the previous year, and arrests dropped 17 percent. Other figures showed drug arrests along the New Jersey Turnpike were down 71 percent in the first six months of the year compared with 1998. But State Police spokesman John Hagerty said yesterday the slowdown is long over. "There was indeed an acknowledgment of a slowdown, and as a result of that action, the acting superintendent met with the unions, visited stations and got the word out that troopers are expected to do jobs on regular and routine basis," Hagerty said. "Indeed, that has happened." He said the fact that ticket writing is still running a bit below last year could be the result of any number of factors -- from weather to staffing levels -- that push figures up and down from month to month. Trooper union officials attributed the drop-offs to troopers' fears of being accused of overzealousness. And while the state is instituting reforms to end racial profiling, union leaders contend troopers have been left without clear criteria for choosing which motorists to stop. "For all that they've been taking, to have the numbers be even close to what they used to be shows what kind of job they're doing," said State Troopers Fraternal Association acting first vice president Ken McClellan. "They're out there doing their job." While they continue to arrest fewer drivers than they did a year ago, yesterday's statistics show troopers are helping more stranded motorists. Troopers last month registered 21,226 stops to assist -- nearly 4,000 more than in June and 16 percent more than the previous July. The statistics also show that 17,459 motorists got away with warnings last month -- 8 percent more than last July. McClellan said the rise in motorists assists may be due to troopers making sure they report all their activities to headquarters because of the increased scrutiny of their actions. "Everything you do, you call it in," he said. "All the stuff we do is being put on paper." - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder